GDT: BUF @ PITT, 7:30 p.m. TV: MSG, ESPN +

[Doug Prishpreed]

 

[BFLO]

Any one that watched last season and this season and actually thinks that the team is giving up higher quality chances against this season..... I just do not know what to say. Especially on the PK.

Your algorithm is lying to you.

I don't think you understand how much a few bad games can drag the average down this early in the season.

The Rangers, Flames, Wild, and Penguins were stinkers in all situations xGA.

Flames, leafs, wild, Devils were stinkers in PK xGA.

 

[Irie]

I don't think you understand how much a few bad games can drag the average down this early in the season.

The Rangers, Flames, Wild, and Penguins were stinkers in all situations xGA.

Flames, leafs, wild, Devils were stinkers in PK xGA.

Your statement was:

Team defense and the PK are worse, but are being covered up by improved goaltending.

Which is one of the worst takes posted on these boards recently, and there have been a metric shit-ton of bad takes on these boards recently... to put things into perspective.

Don't listen to those idiotic xGA goalie charts. they are always misleading.

 

[Zman5778]

Don't listen to those idiotic xGA goalie charts. they are always misleading.

Especially on a small sample size or on a game-by-game basis.

Maybe over the course of a full season, they might have a smidge of value..........

But xGA/GF might be the worst "advanced" stat out there on a small sample size.

 

[Irie]

Especially on a small sample size or on a game-by-game basis.

Maybe over the course of a full season, they might have a smidge of value..........

But xGA/GF might be the worst "advanced" stat out there on a small sample size.

I don't think they have any use what so ever. I guess maybe you could use them to compare two goaltenders on the same team playing during the same small timeframe in a season? But even then, when you take something arbitrary like shot location without the context of the shot and then dump it into a league wide algorithm to do comparisons without any substantial real situational input, the results will be rubbish.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

UPL is UPL... UPL has been pretty good this season and the team and D has been pretty shit. And your take is UPL is UPL, interesting.
So he's a lost case when the D is infront of him is horrible most of the time? But you what? Believe it's easier or more reasonable to fix the goalie when the team and D is looking a lot worse. Very rational of you.

I would wait to call out any goalie in the Sabres organization as long as the team in front of them looks like this. He still was Sabres best player on ice with that fluke yesterday. That says tons.
Also, flukes will always happen sometimes. But overall bad defending game in, game out with one or two exceptions isn't necessary and should and can be fixed. Focus on criticizing that the most. Because a good goalie can't be more than decent infront of shit defense. A couple of games can go well. But a decent goalie can always be good if the defense is good.
I mean just look at Finland, they've hade goalies perform really well in WC's without being the most known goalies out there. Often, it's because of the system. Some crucial rules that every defender obeys and follows because they want the team to win before anything else.
Why do you think some organizations keep on having good goaltending almost year in year out? Bruins and others?

I'm old school. So I've always tried to have my team's goaltenders be one of, if not the best player(s) on the team. I know things have changed over 30 years but Francois Allaire wrote the Bible of goaltending in my personal opinion. My son plays the position and has excelled because of Allaire's coaching and techniques.

There are a number of NHL franchises - and Nations - that place top priority on such instruction and development. Buffalo had Mitch Korn on staff at one point in the past.